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B. M. BENTLEY ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

Patented Apr. 1, 1890.

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INVENTOR NITED STATES niiivnn'o M.v inixfriiir,

i jauae reie RAIL A sPEcimc'ATmN minin m of Letters Patent No. 424,845, dated April 1 1890.

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Application filed July 30, ISB'YIJSorial No.245fl60. (NonwdeL To all whom, 'z'l; may concern:

Be itkllOWll that l, EDWARD M. .llli-N'liirlv,

a citizen of the Un'ited States, residing at New York, in the county of New York", btate'of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is'a specification;

My invention relates to electric railways; and it consists in means for xu'mitiinc; two distinct. systems of ruilwzrv tohe operated over the same track and road-lied.

It consigts, also, in certain features oi con-' struetion of the conduit in'whivh the supplyconduetors pertaining to the two systems are inclosed.

gle to i G.

a transverse section of roadied :uul' n mluit.

Fi s-2 and 3 show the inethodof conductor crossing, Fig. rshows a single conduit branched into two, and .liig. 5 shows a conductor crossing at right angles.

In Fig. 1, E represents a slotted (lUllilHlhllO- neath thesurface of a roznl-hed, R and it" being the track-rails. This conduit is composed of the slot-steels?) Sf, connected at intervals by yokes M, while the bottom and lower sides of the conduit are composed of the planks O and O.

The slot-steel b, which forms part of my invention, is formed of the horizontal flange 1*, the vertical web (-i, and the web K at an an- This form gives the requisite strength with illle'lilflxlilllllll width in the up- Dpis shown in Fig. 2.

per part of the conduit. In this conduit the conductors A and 13, which are of opposite polarity, are suspended from the wooden lining of the 'slotsteels upon opposite sides ofthe slot, respectively. The electrical connection between these conductors and the electrically-propelled vehicle on the track is maintained by the device shown in patent to I. ll. Knight, N 0. 338,17 5,dated March 16, 1880. This device is well known and requires no further description here. Between conductors A and B is a third conductor 1), supported at inter- Vals from the bottom of the conduit on wooden insulators N.

and is connected to a distinct generator and a distinct System from them, as is shown in Fig. 3. A contactdeviee adapted to conductor It is longer than i he This third conductor is at alower height in the conduit than A and 13,

one used for A and ll, in order to reach 1),. which is farther from the vehicle thaw the otheucon'i'lnetors. it consists 0t metallic Ii'raniii l, hung from the vehicle andcnrrying un insnlaiinqpanel h, in which. is inclosed-a r condnctlng-p-late V. "A contact-shoe 1' Is A lnrush: suehias is shown in my latent no.4: 3,884, dated June 15, lhs'lhnmyhe eniployedinsl-ead olthlo dcvh-e'shown.

W henox'er the two systems ln'an'clrapa rt, it will he ing-r-essahv i'orlh'o conductorr\- .o.r-,l;, according to the direction of the curve-(to cross over ahove conductor l), and i: provide for this by making a l rcal; in the upper corn doctor at the point of crossing, which -1s hridg'e'd normally by a in ahle section which permits the contact device, pertaining: to the lower conductor to pass through, the ln'idc'e-seelion being IIlVOlLWliHHl forced. aside hy the con-tact device. This bridge-section is held in its normal. conditionvhy'a'spring (I, and an electrical connect-hm around the bridge is provided, as shownin Fig. $5. The insulating-panel 'l is of such a length that it strikes the bridge-section and prevents any electrical connection being made between the two systems or between either system ahd-the ground in passing through thc'ln'eakn To prevent the bridge touching the oppo' site conductor and making a short circuit when it is swungon its pivot, it is tipped with insulating material, as shown at ('1 The same arrangement of bridging-section in the hrst hung I' omplaie V by springs XI, and is forcedli y the springs into contact with I).

or nearest Conductor may be employed where the crossing-is a rectangular one, as is shown in Fig. 5. p

In Fig. -l is shown a plan or the branching slotted conduit, the track hcingr, of course, correspondingly branched.

in using the term ln'anching conduit I simply mean that there are lwo diverging limlis, one of which may he a straight coin tinuation of the uuh ranched conduit or both may curve away from it.

I clain1.-

1; In an electric railway,'a common-slotted lnclosure and supply-conductn's belonging to distinct railway systems housed therein, the conductor of one system being, supported from the wall and of the second system from s teams tact devices adapted to each' conductor, the conductors being supported in the conduit at different heights and the upper one broken for the passage of the. contact device belonging to the lower one.

3. The combination of two electrical conductors belonging to'distinct railway systems,

a common slotted inclos-ure therefor in which the conductors are supported at different heights, and contact devices adapted to each, the upper conductor being broken to permit thepassage of the contact device belonging to the lower-one and provided with a bridge normally closing the said break, but adapted tobe automatically opened by the said contact device. i

4. The combination, in an electric railway,

heights,with an automaticallyoperated bridg iug-section in one conductor toipermit vthe passage of the contact device of-the other conductor,and an electrical connection around I the said bridging-section.

-5.The combination,'with conductor A, of

the automatically-movable section 0, forming part of theelectric circuit and adapted to beoperated by an approaching vehicle.

6. The combination, in an electric railway, of intersectinglconductors, one of whichis provided with an 'automatically-movable bridging-section, with a spring for holding said bridging-section in its normal position, and an electrical connection around the bridging-section, substantially as described.

7 The combination, in an electric railway, of intersectingconductors and a'pivoted automatically-moving section included in and forming part of the circuit of one of said con ductors, with the spring for holding said sec tionin its normal positiombut allowing 1t t be moved aside by atraveling contact devlce as set forth.

8'. The combination, with acommonn'oad way upon which travel vehicles belong-mg ti distinct systems of road, of the conductors 1 and B, parallel therewith and connected t1 one system, and the conductor 1), connectei to a distinct system, but parallel with A and B 9, The combination, with conduit E, of thi conductors A and '13 therein, connected to on system, and the conductor D, connected to distinct system and inclosed by the sans conduit. a. a

10. The combination, in an electric railway of a slotted conduit, two conductors: thereir of opposite polarity upon opposite sides of tht slot, a third conductor between the yjzher two and a contact device extending into the con duit to the said third conductor. oftwo. intersecting conductors at difierentf 11. The combination, in anelectric'railway of a common conduit, two conductors theren connected to distinct systems, and a branch in the conduit, the two conductors following tlu EDWARD M. BENTLEY.

Witnesses:

Ron'r. W. BLAcKWELL, J ULIEN M. ELLIOT. 

